9.08.2009

Here's your Sign

As we drive around London and wander around campus, I've noticed a few odd and/or striking signs.

Take this grim poster about the swine flu, for instance.

UWO sent us an email about pandemic preparedness. They've installed hand sanitizer dispensers all over campus and signs encouraging us to use them. The email also suggested that we arrange a pick up plan with our families in case we get sick after we arrive on campus. Our American friend Jessica said that if she were to contract the virus, her parents would probably tell her to stay put instead of coming home and infecting them. For (snazzy) international students like ourselves, it's not so much an option.The best part of the email is that they told us to find a "pandemic buddy" - someone who I can inform if I become ill and need to miss class. I hope John will be my buddy, but I smarted off when he asked me to be his. Now I'm buddy-less and hundreds of kilometers from home. In the pandemic movie, I'm sure I'd be among the first to go.

Here's an interesting sculpture from campus. They're like shadows of people running from the plague - I mean - flu.

They've taken over the main part of campus. "Soph" leaders herd the "frosh" newbies around in packs, wearing some kind of dorm themed t-shirts and screaming a lot. Canadians don't use the freshman/sophomore/junior/senior names that we do, they just refer to students as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th years, etc. So why call them "frosh"? I don't know.I saw several people today with their right hands dyed or painted purple, like this guy.

I saw this at the grocery store and now I really wish I bought it. Maybe I will after we get payed. I expect it to be just like a similar American magazine, but there's always a few quirky things, and those are worth pointing out.

This is in parking lot of my favorite Goodwill - the one with the ice skates and skis.

(That's what she said.)

Last but not least, this little number is painted on a building across from the Labatt arena. Yes, it's the same Labatt of the famous Labatt brewery, also in London. It's the home of the London Knights, our hockey team! Their next game is September 11th, and while I think it's not a very American way to remember 9/11, John said the best way to mark the day would be to keep on living. But at this point I'm a little more excited about Western's hockey team. In trying to find the link about UWO hockey, I noticed that we also havewomen's ice hockey. Damn. Tough chicks.